Madaurus University

University of Madaurus
Ruins of Madauros
Latin: Madaura or Madaurus
TypePublic University
ActiveEstablished in 75 BC–closed in the 7th century AD
StudentsApuleius
Martianus Capella
Saint Augustine
Location
Madauros
,
Algeria

36°04′45.40645″N 07°54′04.33087″E / 36.0792795694°N 7.9012030194°E / 36.0792795694; 7.9012030194
CampusUrban
LanguageNumidian, Latin, Greek
Websitehttps://souk-ahras.mta.gov.dz/fr/maduro/

The Madaurus University (in Latin Madaurus, Madauros or Madaura)[1] is a former university, one of the first on the African continent, of which only ruins remain, located in the city of M'daourouch in the wilaya of Souk Ahras in Algeria. It is often considered one of the earliest, if not the oldest, centers of higher learning in North Africa and the first in Africa, the university's construction dating back to the Roman era around 75 AD.[2][3][4]

History

It was on the site of an ancient Numidian city from the third century BC that the Roman city of Madauros was founded in 75 AD under the Flavians.[5] Its early public functions date from the Roman period between the 1st and 2nd centuries.[6][7][8][9] The city is mentioned in ancient manuscripts from the third century, but fell into decay following the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb in the seventh century.[10][11]

Famous students

At the time, the university was considered a great centre of cultural influence[12] and frequented by great men of letters, philosophers, mathematicians and rhetoricians of the ancient world such as the North African Christian theologian and philosopher Saint Augustine, the Numidian writer, orator and philosopher Apuleius (author of the Metamorphoses or the Golden Ass), the Roman orator and grammarian Maximus of Madaurus, and the writer, poet, music theorist and philosopher Martianus Capella.[13][14][15][16][17][18]

References

  1. ^ Larousse, Éditions. "Madaure en latin Madaurus ou Madaura - LAROUSSE". www.larousse.fr (in French). Retrieved 2026-02-17.
  2. ^ "Maduro - Direction du Tourisme et de l'Artisanat Souk Ahras". souk-ahras.mta.gov.dz (in French). Archived from the original on 2025-01-27. Retrieved 2026-02-19.
  3. ^ Chitour, Chems-Eddine (1999). L'education et la culture de l'Algérie: des origines à nos jours. Algiers: ENAG. pp. 30–50. ISBN 978-9961-62-120-2.
  4. ^ "UNESCO Madaurus University". www.universityworldnews.com. Archived from the original on 2025-10-09. Retrieved 2026-02-19.
  5. ^ "Maduro - Direction du Tourisme et de l'Artisanat Souk Ahras". souk-ahras.mta.gov.dz (in French). Archived from the original on 2025-01-27. Retrieved 2026-02-19.
  6. ^ "Un Voyage au Cœur de la Culture Berbère". Un Voyage au Cœur de la Culture Berbère (in French). Retrieved 2026-02-17.
  7. ^ "Maduro - Direction du Tourisme et de l'Artisanat Souk Ahras". souk-ahras.mta.gov.dz (in French). Archived from the original on 2025-01-27. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
  8. ^ "Algérie : un intérêt archéologique émergent 3/3 – Portail catholique suisse". cath.ch (in French). Retrieved 2026-02-17.
  9. ^ "Evocation de Madaure, ville natale d'Apulée | Canal U". www.canal-u.tv (in French). 2021-03-25. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
  10. ^ "Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt", Wikipedia, 2026-01-29, retrieved 2026-02-17
  11. ^ Mansouri, Kh (2010). "Madauros". Encyclopédie berbère (in French) (30): 4469–4479. doi:10.4000/encyclopedieberbere.396. ISSN 1015-7344.
  12. ^ "Un colloque international dédié au génial Apulée de Madaure". Le Matin d'Algérie (in French). Retrieved 2026-02-17.
  13. ^ "Un patrimoine millénaire livré à la prédation et au vandalisme : Madaure, cité savante, site ignoré - Reportage : Liberté". www.liberte-algerie.com (in French). Retrieved 2026-02-17.
  14. ^ "Algeria's oldest university".
  15. ^ "Souk Ahras : Madaure, l'une des premières cités savantes au Monde | Radio Algérienne". radioalgerie.dz (in French). Retrieved 2026-02-17.
  16. ^ "مداوروش مدينة جزائرية شاهدة على الزمن والحضارات". اندبندنت عربية (in Arabic). 2023-05-27. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
  17. ^ "حمار لوكيوس الذهبي وزيتونة القديس أوغسطين... في مدينة مادور الجزائرية". رصيف22 (in Arabic). 2022-08-30. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
  18. ^ "Apulée, Maxime le grammairien et saint Augustin, ces Algériens méconnus". Djazairess. Retrieved 2026-02-17.

Bibliographie

  • Stéphane Gsell, Mdaourouch, 1922. Histoire ancienne de l'Afrique du Nord en 8 tomes, Inscriptions de Madaure, ibid., p. CLXX-CLXXIV [1].
  • Ibn Khaldoun, Histoire des Berbères (traduit de l'arabe par le Baron de Slane), tome I, Alger, 1852-1856.
  • Peter Brown (2001). La Vie de saint Augustin (in French). Paris: Seuil. p. 675. ISBN 978-2-02-038617-3..
  • Hunink, Vincent (2001). Apuleius of Madauros: Florida.. Amsterdam: Gieben. p. 258. ISBN 978-90-5063-218-8..
  • Christophe Charle; Jacques Verger (2012). Histoire des Universités (in French). PUF. p. 331.
  • Vincent Serralda; André Huard (1984). Le Berbère-- lumière de l'Occident (in French). Nouvelles Editions Latines. p. 171. ISBN 978-2-7233-0239-5..
  • Mahfoud Kaddache (1972). L'Algérie dans l'Antiquité (in French). Alger: SNED. p. 226. ISBN 978-2-0125-6551-7.
  • Serge Lancel (2003). l'Algérie antique (in French). Paris: éditions Mengès. p. 260. ISBN 285620421X.
  • Mahfoud Kaddache (2003). L'Algérie des Algériens (in French). Paris: Paris-Méditerranée. p. 785. ISBN 2-8427-2166-7..
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